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Heil
The Heil are a warrior race almost as old as the Alinteans, hailing from the barren desert world of Sovereign. First featured in "Twice-Shadowed Saint", they are one of the pivotal races in the Galaxy, second only to the Alinteans, but are easily more widespread. Physical Description The vast majority of Heil stand between 5'8" and 6'1", with notable exceptions like Liima towering over the rest at a maximum height of 7'8" (one of the tallest Heil ever recorded). Their bodies are almost always muscular, and they possess far denser muscles than humans. They have three bony ridges on their cheeks which begin at the corners of their eyes and slope downwards toward the corners of their mouths, which are filled with sharp, squaline teeth. Their eyes appear to be devoid of iris or pupil, and are completely white and luminous. They lack hair on any portion of their body as well. Unlike human hands, which have four fingers and a thumb, their hands are four-fingered (two of which are thumbs, one on either side of the hand) and boneless, made completely from muscle which tapers to a point at the end of each finger. Their fingers can curl both ways, forward and backward, because of this - a fact which makes them very deadly in combat as they have a wide variety of submission holds available to them. Their skin is rarely only one tone, and is usually a complex patchwork of black and white portions. One thing remains the same, however, and this is that their right hands are always black and their left are always white. This is due to the "Arts" - an innate trait activated by placing their hands against the ground (or another flat surface) and focusing. The Black Art is considered an offensive technique, in which a dark, inky ring will spread out around the user with their hand as the center. Anything falling within this ring is subject to manipulation, including a variety of techniques normally accessible only to Scain and Scion. Lifting heavy objects, such as boulders or even small vehicles, for example. Individuals trapped in the Black Art field can have limbs crushed or torn off, and advanced users can even form shapes in their Art, such as spikes or blades (although it should be noted that this level of focus is extremely rare). As a counterpoint to the Black Art, the White Art is primarily a defensive trait. Rather than a black field, a whitish ring will expand around the user and can be used to heal injuries, create barriers, or even move objects in a similar fashion to the Black Art. Advanced users can also use this technique to analyze individuals to gain an understanding of physiology (such as internal injuries or the status of a healing injury), and true masters can even use it to immobilize opponents. Klaara'Doran kan Mitragan being proof, Heil undergo a physical transformation when they are preparing to breed. During this state, their heads come alive with either gold (female) or silver (male) wisps and tendrils which seem to be hair. In reality, they are formed from luxite. These tendrils wave about the Heil's head, appearing to defy gravity. In addition to this, the entire Heil's body darkens to a deep, royal purple (female) or a brilliant red (male). Due to Richard's teasing nature, it is also shown that Heil, if brought ot the point of blushing, turn gray instead of pink or red. Weaponry and Technology Heil weapons are based around an ion-driven sytem, creating a variety of close-quarters weapons with a lethal, technologic edge to them. Coupling this with their denser muscles and a weapon-mounted afterburner system makes the ion weapon the weapon to have in close-combat scenarios (as is evidenced by the legendary hunter Edge, who uses two of them, as well as other notable names such as S/301-Ruler or D/055-Retal). For a full list of ion weapons, please click HERE. Apart from their weaponry, Heil have very little in the way of technology. Much of their efforts are expended on the infighting among the ten Clans, which leaves little room for developing other technologies apart from ships and weapons. Their ships are all lethal, regardless of which end they are approached from, and are usually bristling with exterior ion blades or spikes, making them efficacious ramming vessels. They do have fusion power, but it is primarily used in on-board ship reactors or city power grids as opposed to anything else. Further back in the Heil history, their world was once a garden planet comparable to Chindrus or Earth. The Heil, despite being oppressed by the tyrannical Rohsin Empire, were a prosperous species. Eventually, dissention among the subjugated nations led to an uprising, led by the legendary Aruned, who later supposedly ascended to godhood. Before his death, the Heil encountered the Gatekeepers and waged war with them - something which Aruned had cautioned against doing. He perished before the end of the war, and his successors re-engaged the Gatekeepers and lost. In the process, Sovereign was reduced to the desert world it is now - a barren place stripped of over 90 percent of its life due to nuclear bombardment. Prior to this time, it is implied that the Heil had far greater technologies than they do today, including artifacts like the Gauntlets of Lekramia or the fact that the prophecy of the Scion of Aruned is etched into an antium tablet - a material which cannot be damaged even in present day. Culture and Beliefs Nailing down any one aspect of Heil culture is difficult, due in part to their Clan-based system. This fracture among their people leads to ten separate groups, each with their own sub-culture, beliefs and rituals. Some things, however, remain the same. All Heil worship Aruned, as well as his wife Lekramia and their twin sons, Holengard and Eumarth. Aruned is seen as the God of War and Ambition, while Lekramia is the Goddess of Fertility and Peace. Holengard is seen as the God of Tenacity and Cunning, while Eumarth is the God of Survival and Trickery. Different Clans, however, place different levels of importance on each deity. Clan Mitragan, for instance, all but ignore Lekramia, Holengard and Eumarth, but fervently worship Aruned. Clan Bytkam, on the other hand, follows the teachings of Lekramia, but hold Aruned, Holengard and Eumarth in high and reverential regard. Certain objects, entities or concepts are so deeply ingrained in the Heil mind that they can no longer be fought. Exposing any Heil to the Icon of Dominance, for instance, will immediately break their will and leave them open to suggestion. Heil given an order while in this state will seek to follow it unquestioningly, even to the point of death. Concepts such as the Bleaks, on the other hand, instill such fear in the Heil that they cannot even speak the word "Bleak" (as an entity and not an adjective) without lowering their voices to a fearful whisper. Murder is not wrong among the Heil, provided a clear challenge has been made. Walking up to someone in the street and killing them is wrong (one reason why Clan Delques is so loathed). However, challenging an individual to a duel and then killing them is not, provided that the rules to the duel were observed. While Clan Bytkam seems to be something of an exception, none of the other Clans have any kind of gender bias. Heil females are expected to train, war and fight just as much as the males. Males, conversely, are expected to maintain households or raise children in equal participation with the females. In Clan Bytkam's case, however, females are viewed as superior to males, as they are considered closer to Lekramia. Another notable point to mention about the Heil are the Guilds, which act as a neutral province and usually broker meetings between hostile Clans by using the Guild City as a meeting place. The Guilds are made up of exiles from the ten Clans, and are divided into five individual Guilds: Cartographers, Architects, Smiths, Mercenaries and Diplomats. Military Much like culture, Heil military strategies vary. Clan Mitragan will attack anything that invades their domain (and even individuals or groups they simply do not like) with little provocation, usually throwing an insane amount of warriors at their foes and hoping to crush them with numbers and savagery alone (a tactic which has, thus far, worked). Clan Umarak, on the other hand, instills discipline and tactics in its soldiers, and has the most organized army in the Galaxy next to the Alinteans. Clan Bytkam, on the other hand, does not war at all. Clan Delques, shunning all of the teachings of the Heil, specialize in stealth and assassinations - something which has led to their entire Clan being exiled from Sovereign and loathed by the other nine. Personality The vast majority of Heil are standoffish and confrontational, usually listening only to those they view as their betters. Defeating Heil in duels will usually earn respect from the witnesses and the defeated, but violating individual cultural barriers can be a fast way to be attacked and killed. Sadly, like military and culture, this is perhaps the sole thing all Heil share in common.